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Back on February 9, I shared on Facebook my top
three District 8 and citywide priorities for the new budget year. Citywide, I identified: (1) affordable
housing; (2) food access; and (3) west Louisville infrastructure; and in District
8: (1) Bardstown Road safety and transportation; (2) crime prevention; and (3) trees.
Mayor Fischer presented his proposed budget April
27. The Metro Council spent eight weeks
analyzing and revising it, and ultimately adopted a city spending plan June
22. Other than previewing my Fiscal ’18 paving
and sidewalk plans in the last edition of eNews,
I haven’t said much about the budget because you never count your money when
you’re sittin’ at the table. The
dealin’s done now, though, so here are my thoughts on the 2017 - 2018 Approved
Budget that went into effect July 1 through June 30, 2018,
and how my priorities fared in the process.
Council’s amendments to the Mayor’s budget are
generally marginal (which is not to say insignificant) but our decision to
(substantially) fully fund the Affordable Housing Trust Fund at $9.6 million
(which at least rounds to the $10M contemplated by the enacting ordinance) is a
big deal. We determined that helping to
shelter those the very most in need is not only the right thing to do but also a
better investment than spending housing dollars elsewhere. I’ve been unwavering in my support to fully
fund the AHTF and am committed to developing a dedicated funding source for it.
Food insecurity is a constant concern but the
problem has been exacerbated by grocery store closings in neighborhoods that
need them most and a loss of grant funding at Dare to Care. (Yum! Brands cut its million-dollar gift in
half; can I interest anyone in being a new corporate sponsor?) Metro Government alone can’t fill Dare to
Care’s operating gap but the Metro Council tripled the Mayor’s proposed
contribution of $100,000 to $300,000 this year and is investing an additional
$50,000 to explore a food co-op or non-profit grocery to address the food
desert issue. I’ve mentioned in the past
that I dream of repurposing Louisville Gardens into a public market to support
food justice and our local farm economy but that’s an idea for next budget year,
perhaps.
West Louisville has good bones but too many of
them are broken. That’s why – even
though I’m upset District 8 is receiving just $30,505 for sidewalk repairs this
year (and that’s after Council doubled the Mayor’s sidewalk budget from $1 million
to $2M) – I’m pleased that Districts 4, 5 and 6 are receiving a combined $1,400,990 to fix their walkways. Additionally, Metro Council did not cut $1.6 million from the $5.4M
dedicated to building broadband throughout west Louisville as part of the KentuckyWired
project, as proposed at one pointl; and Metro street improvements are set to include the River
Road Extension – West. Waterfront Park
Phase IV is on the horizon. West
Louisville will rise again. The only
variable is time.
We all know Bardstown Road poses problems – from
motorists who blow through crosswalks, to bikers who make godawful noise, to
people parking in the driving lane during rush hour – all of which are
compounded by Metro’s lack of autonomy over the state road. That’s why I consider my biggest District 8-centric
victory of the budget process to be that I secured $90,000 for a Baxter
Avenue/Bardstown Road Pedestrian-Focused Safety Improvement Study. The scope of work is still being finalized but,
critically, the study area includes the entire corridor from Broadway to I-264.
Having a plan in place is likely to help
secure scheduling and funding for much needed improvements. Taylorsville Road is next, if I can help it.
You would think a $193,000,000 police budget (a
10.6% increase over last year) that adds 55 new officers (for a total of about
1,300) would satisfy my request for an investment in crime prevention – and, certainly,
I hope this equates to a couple extra officers walking the beat on Bardstown
Road or patrolling the Scenic Loop on Chief Conrad’s dime instead of our own scarce
Neighborhood Development Funding.
However, I believe the budget falls
short (in District 8, at least) in the areas of technology, environmental
design and public realm improvements. I
will continue to press for park security cameras, enhanced street lighting and graffiti
abatement in future budgets; and I intend to revisit graffiti, specifically, at
the mid-year adjustment. The Directors
of Public Works & Assets and Codes and Regulations are to provide a
quarterly report of all reported graffiti and the status of each incident to the
Public Works, Parks, Sustainability and Transportation Committee I serve on,
effective immediately.
Finally, I’m disappointed that the Metro Council
raided the Division of Community Forestry budget (slashed it from $600,000 to
$200K) to find revenue for other projects.
My tree planting goal for District 8 in FY18 is to fill the 108 empty
tree wells and green verge along Baxter/Bardstown, to plant 45 more trees in
the D-8 right of way and another 45 trees elsewhere in the city as part of the
2nd Annual Planting O’ the Green and to support neighborhood planting programs – all of which are made harder by
the cuts. If it was my call, we would
have fully funded Community Forestry and asked LMPD to get by with $192.6
million.
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For breaking news and
information, please follow me on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram. If you have a
question or comment, please call me at: (502) 574-1108 or email: brandon.coan@louisvilleky.gov (and copy jasmine.masterson@louisvilleky.gov). If you have a
service request, please use MetroCall 311 online to submit or check on it, and
contact our office if you experience any problems.
Thanks very much.
Councilman Brandon Coan
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